Spring stabilizer



' 1,639,944 1927' A. J. HOLlFlELD SPRING STABILIZER Filed July 17, 1924 Patented 23, 1 927. I

' 1,639,94t PA ENT orrics.

ALSAE J. HOLIFIELD, or MOBILE, ALAB AMA h SPRING STABILIZER.

Application filed July 17, 1924. Serial No. 726,609.

My invention relates to a spring stabilizer I ber so as to distribute its bearing more evenly 1 on the spring, thereby preventing fracture of the cross member; to prevent excessive rocking or leaning of the car; and'to keep the front springs in proper crown and shape, not allowing them to flatten out as they have a tendency to do in service.

Heretofore stabilizers of the type above described have been madeof castings which The chief object of my present invention is to design thes-e'stabilizers so that they can be formed from a single stamping or metal strip having its ends so bent, folded or 1 coiled and pressed or swaged as to form a solid chock which will fit snugly between the cross body member and the leaf spring with the advantages above pointed out.

My invention in its preferred embodiments will be best understood by reference to the accompanyin drawings which form a part of this specification, and in which Fig. 1 illustrates a spring with my improved stabilizer in operating position, the :33 cross body member being broken away.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the blank.

Fig. 3 is a side view of the formed stabilizer.

Fig. 4 is an end view of Fig. 3.

Figs. 5 and 6 illustrate modifications of my invention in which the chock element is formed by bending the ends of a strap and pressing them into the propershapeto form a solid chock.

Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.

Asillustrated, I show my invention in use with a conventional leaf spring 1 having a center clip 2 and tie bolt 3 which passes through the center of the spring, the clip andbolt being adapted to secure the spring at its center to a bent cross body member 4c in the form of a channel. The parts thus far described are standard and may be widely varied as they form no part of my present invention.

are heavy, clumsy'and relatively expensive.

1 My stabilizer, as illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4, 1s formed of jsheet'metal having a body member 5 with a center hole 6 to :receive the tie bolt and lateral wings 7- disposed on it each side of each endof the strip, thefree side edge of each wing being shaped to conform to the contour of the top portion'of the spring which it w ll engage when in service. As shown, the wings taper towards the center of the stabilizer and are provided with a notch-out at 8 to fit over theshort' top leaf of the spring. Fig. 3 illustrates the wings in side elevation when bent down into planes at rightangles to the body 5 of the stabilizer, which body has substantially the width of the spring so as to fit in the clip and cross member 4. The stabilizer is applied by mounting it ontop of the spring, passing the tie bolt through it and the spring and the body member and then clamping the parts together, which will set the stabilizer so that its bent wings will form solid checks or wedges between the spring on each side and the body member 4, to the ends and for the purposes hereinbefore pointed out;

In Fig. 5 I show another manner of producing a similar type of stabilizer. Here a metal strap 9, having approximately the width of the spring, has its ends coiled and swaged to form practically solid chocks 10 which are shaped to conform to the spring and to act aswedges between the latter and the cross member.

In-Fig. 6 I show a further modification of 'a stabilizer which is also formed from a metal strap 11, the ends of which instead of being coiled are folded back and forth upon themselves and pressed or swaged so as to form the desired Chocks 12. The checks 10 and 12 are not intended to have any spring action as thisis objectionable in that it is liable to cause bothspring and bolt to break and the fenders to rub.

Though I have described with great particularity the details of the embodiment of the invention herein shown, it is notto be construed that I am limited thereto, as changes in arrangement and substitution of equivalents may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. A stabilizer of the character described adapted to p be introduced between a leaf each side between the s I rin and bod memher and shaped to conform to the contour of the spring and body element between which they are clamped in position.

2. The combination inan automobile of a channel cross'member, a spring arranged under said cross member, the intermediate portlon of said spring bemg housed in said cross member, and a stabilizing device formed of a metal strip arranged to fit snugly in the cross member and having a flat intermediate portion interposed between the cross memberand the top of the spring and deformed ends which form rigid chocks interposed between and bearing against both the spring and the top wall of the cross 20 member.

In tGSUDIOIlYWhQlQOf I aifix my signature.

ALSAE J. HOLIFIELD. 

